Elk

The name Elk often causes confusion. In North America elks are known as moose. To compound this confusion, the name elk is also used in the Americas to refer to red deer. Elks are the largest deer in the world. They live in the cold conifer forests that cover northern mountains and lowlands. They are most common in Canada and Alaska but also live across northern Europe and Siberia.

These animals plod through forests and marshes, browsing on leaves, mosses and lichens. They often feed in rivers, nibbling on aquatic vegetation and even dive underwater to uproot water plants. In summer, they are most active at dawn and dusk. In winter, they are active throughout the day. They paw the snow to reveal buried plants and twigs.

Elks may gather to feed, but they spend most of the year alone. In the autumn mating season, the males fight each other for the females.

Male elks are almost twice the size of females. The males sport huge antlers - nearly 2 m (6.5 ft) across - and have flaps of skin hanging below their chins, called dewlaps.

The male’s magnificent antlers are only carried through until the end of the mating period, around October. A new pair will start to grow during the spring, attaining their full size anywhere between three and five months later. The antlers emerge covered in a protective layer of skin, which is later shed. The sheer size of a mature bull elk is usually enough to deter smaller rivals and predators, although females and particularly calves are vulnerable to wolves.

Distribution: Northern Europe, Siberia, Alaska, Canada and northern parts of the United States.